Education

Issue: Six Area Schools In Newsweek Top 100.

May 22, 2008

Maybe things aren't quite as bad with Florida schools as most people think.

In fact, if you believe Newsweek, some schools are actually doing pretty well in Florida.

The magazine's annual list of the best 1,300 schools in America has been released, and 18 state schools made the top 100, including three of the top eight. Three schools from Palm Beach County - Suncoast Community in Riviera Beach (No. 3), Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach (No. 33) and Atlantic Community in Delray Beach (No. 57) - were rated in the top 100 among the approximately 27,000 public high schools in the nation.

Three schools from Miami-Dade County also were ranked in the top 100. While no Broward schools made the top 100, Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland and Nova High in Davie were rated in the top 200.

Congratulations are in order for all the South Florida schools involved.

The list is always controversial, but it is still an accomplishment to be ranked high. The rankings are done with a fairly simplistic formula that considers the number of students taking college-level exams, and then divides that figure by the number of graduating seniors.

Newsweek knows its rating isn't the be-all, end-all. Granted. Many factors other than students taking college-level exams go into making successful schools.

That still doesn't take away the accomplishment of ranking high on this list.

BOTTOM LINE: Congratulations are in order.

INFORMATIONAL BOX:

Rating the schools

Check out Newsweek's complete list of top public schools in the country at